Rotary engine.



' PATENTED PEB. 17, 1903.

M. E. KNIGHT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

PPLITIN FILED JUNE 1B, 1902.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

N0 MODEL.

N'o. 720,818. PATBNTBD PEB.17, 1903. M. E. KNIGHT.

ROTARY ENGINE. Y

-APPLIUATION FILED .mlm 1e. 1902.

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uw@le No. 720,818. PATBNTED PEB. 17, 1903.

M. E. KNIGHT.

I RUTARY ENGINE.

.LPPLIUATION IILHI)V JUNE 16', 1902.

No MODEL.

- v PATENTE); FEB. 11.7,y 190s. M. B. KNIGHT. RoTARY-ENGI'NE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE-1B, 1902.

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M. E. KNIGHT.

ROTARY BNG-INE; APPLIGATON FILED JUNE 16, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5k NO MODEL.

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UNITED STATES f PATENT OFFICE.

MARGARET E. KNIGHT, 0F SOUTH FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,818, dated Februaryl?, 1903.

Application Bled June 18, 1902. Serial No. 111,831. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARGARET E. KNIGHT, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at South Framingham, in the county of Middlesex andCommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements inRotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in rotary engines; and it consistschiefly in the novel construction of the pistons of the engines, and,further, in the construction of the steam-chest and the operation of thevalve, all of which Will be understood from the detailed descriptionhereinafter contained and specilied in the claims when taken incounection With the drawings, which form a part of the specification,and'wherein- Figure lis a central'longitudinal section through theentire engine. Fig.r2 is a vertical cross-section on line 2 2, Fig. l.Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is avertical cross-section on .line et 4, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a verticalcross-section on line 5 5, Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a vertical crosssection online 6 6, Fig. l. All of the crosssections, Figs. 2 to 6, are viewedfrom the left of Fig. l. Figs. 7 to 13 are diagrammatic views showingthe pistons in lseven dierent positions during one revolution of theshaft. The steam-chambers about the pistons are somewhat exaggerated.

Referring to the drawings, Adesignates the engine-casting, which may beencompassed by au outer casing A' With some non-conductor of heat A2 inthe intervening spaces. The head and end portions of the engine and themiddle portion, which contains the steamchambers and pistons, aresecured together by bolt-rods B and nuts B.

In the drawings three sliding pistons are shown; but more than three, oreven tWo such pistons, may be employed, the requisite being that thesteam-ports shall be so arranged that in Whichever direction the engineis running the pressure of live steam, Whether upon one or more pistons,shall tend to move the crankrod in the same direction.

As illustrated, the middle portion of the engine casting, which containsthe steamchambers and pistons, is constructed with three Wing-chambers cc c to accommodate the three sliding plate-pistons orsteam-ahutments d dd, which severally have a hinged or pivotal connection at their innerends with the eccentric crank-rode2 between the two end portions E E ofthe main shaft. (See Figs. l and 6.) At about midway of the depth of theWing-chambers o semicylindrical grooves c' are formed upon oppositesides thereof throughout the length of each, and in` these groovescylindrical segments c2 are placed, which support the outer ends of thepistons d and serve as bearings through which the pistons slide and tiltin the operation of the engine. Y

The construction by which the pistons or ahutments dare hinged to thecrank-rod e2 Y consists of projecting cylindrical sections ca c4 uponeither side of the inner ends of each piston. The curve of one of thesesections ca has the same radius as the periphery of the crank-rod e2 andlits itaccurately, and the curve of the opposite section c4 has a radiusequal to that of the crank-rod plus the thickness of the projectingsection e3, which lits the periphery of the crank-rod, so that when theseveral pistons are assembled in proper position about the crank-rod e2the projecting cylindrical section of each piston which has the curve oflonger radius overlaps and bears upon the cylindrical section which hasthe curve of shorter radius upon an adjoining piston, and by thisoverlapping and interlocking of alternate portions of the projectingsections the several pistons are held in contact with the crank-rod e2.In order to easily accomplish this interlocking of the several pistons,one'of them-for instance,the upper or perpendicular one, as shown inFig. G-is made in two parts d d', and al'ter all the pistons are'assembled these two parts are bolted together, thereby locking them alltogether and about the crank-rod.

Steam is supplied and conducted to the steam-chambers of the engine inthe manner and by the means as follows: Steam from the boiler entersthrough the pipe F into the chamber G, Fig. 5, which is at theright-hand end of the engine, as illustrated in Fig. l, and extendsacross the end of the enginecasting. Within a cylindrical seat H, Whichnis provided with diametrically opposite longitudinal ports 7L' h', is acylindrical tube- IOO ' engine.

valve I, provided with diametrically opposite ports t" t', which are inthe same vertical plane with the chamber G and intermittently open intothat chamber through ports h h', and two other diainetrically oppositeports 112 2,1which are in the same vertical plane with anothersteam-chamber K and intermittently open thereto through the ports h h'.The diametrical planes of the two pairs of ports i' i2 are at rightangles to each other. The chamber K is connected with two steampassagesL, which extend substantially across the length of the engine upon eachside, near the lower part thereof, and connect with anothersteam-chamber M at the left-hand end of the engine. A portion of thischamber M is open to the end E of the shaft, and from this chamber steamis supplied to the engine or exhausted from it through a port m' in thatshaft. Whether the chamber serves as a supply or exhaust chamber dependsupon the direction or rotation of the engine. At the end of the engineopposite to the chamber M is a similarchamberN, a portion of which isopen to the end E of the shaft, and through a port n' in this end steamis supplied to or exhausted from the engine; also, by branches from thechamber N it may be connected with the steam-supply chamber K or withthe exhaust-chamber O near the bottom of the (See Figs. l, 3, and 4.)The ports m and n are made somewhat smaller at the ends next to thesteam-chamber c, as shown in dotted lines, to regulate the iiow of steamto those chambers.

The Valve I has a pinion P upon its outer end which meshes With a gearP' upon the shaft E. These gears are so proportioned that one rotationof the gear P causes the gear P to rotate three times. Beyond the innerend of the valve I is a chamber 3, within which is a movable partitionin the-form of a piston or plunger t4, which closel7 fits that chamber.Projecting from the end of the plunger t4 toward the valve I is asmaller plunger 1"", which accurately fits the interior of the valve I,and the length of the plunger 725 is sufficient to cover and close theports 112 when that plunger is entered its full length and may beemployed to stop the engine. The piston @"1 may be operated by means ofa rod t6, attached thereto and which extends through a stuffing-box tothe outside of the engine. This rod may be provided with a series ofholes t7, so that the piston t4 may be secured in a number of differentpositions by means of a pin inserted through a hole in the end of thestuffing-box gland and into one of the holes in the rod 6.

By means of a slide-valve Q in the lower part of the engine, which maybe operated by a rod q, extending without the casing, the direction ofthe How of live steam to the piston-chambers and the exhaust therefrommay be reversed.

Oil-reservoirs R are provided at the top of the engine-casting, fromwhich the lubricant is conducted to the interior of the engine by smallpassages fr. Also lubricant is supplied to the Wings of thesteam-chambers o through .small pipes r2, Figs. 2 and 6.

The driving-wheels S on the ends of the engineshaft may be eccentricallyweighted sufficiently to counterbalance the crank-rod e2 and the pistonsd, which are secured thereto.

When operating the engine, steam from the boiler is admitted through thepipe F to the chamber G, and by turning the engine until the ports t" ofthe valve I coincide with the ports h of the valve-seat I-I steam willbe admitted to the chamber t3. By a further turn of the enginesufiicient to give the Valve I a quarter-turn the ports t" will beclosed and the ports i2 thereof will be brought opposite to the portsh', and steam will issue from the chamber i3 to the chamber K. Fromthence it will pass to the passages L along the bottom of the engine tothe chamber M and thence through the port m in the. shaft E to thesteam-chambers cin succession, as that shaft is rotated by the action ofthe steam-pressure upon the pistons d. From the chambers c the steam isexhausted through the port n in the shaftE into the chamberNand fromthere to the chamber O and thence up through the space between theengine-casting A and the outer casing A and out into the atmospherethrough ports o 0. (Sec Fig. 6.) This is the course of the steam whenthe slide-valve Q is in the position shown in full-line section, Fig. l,and the engine will turn from left to right, as illustrated inFig. 6. Inorder to reverse the rotation of the engine, the valve Q is pulled tothe left by means ofy the rod q to the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 1. Then when the valve I is in the position shown therein steamwill pass from the chamber t3 through the ports t2 to the chamber K,thence through the chamber N and port n in the shaft E to thesteam-chambers c, and be exhausted through the port m', chamber M, andpassage O to the outlet-ports o. The position of the piston 4 in thechamber t3 determines the size of the portion of that chainber whichreceives steam at boiler-pressure through the ports 'i' at eachhalf-turn of the IOO IOS

IIO

valve I, and hence the volume of steam adn mitted through the ports 2tothe chamber K and thence to the piston-chambers of the engine at eachhalf-turn of the valve I. -It will be understood that the eduction ofsteam from the chamber 'i3 through the ports t2 alternates with theinduction of steam to the chamber i3 through the ports t.

The steam-chambers c, each of which is comprised between the sides oftwo plates d and the walls of the engine-casting A, are continuallyenlarging andl then contracting in the operation of the engine, and forthe purpose of illustrating the operation reference may be made to thediagrams, Figs. 7 to 13, wherein it may be assumed that the parts areviewed from a direction opposite to that shown in Fig. 6, that the portfm is the inlet for live steam, and that the crank-rod e2 is revolvingaround the axis of the shaft E from right to left, as indicated by thearrows.

Starting with Fig. 7, live steam is entering at m and expanding in thechamber le, thus pressing the plate l(i to the lett. At this time theport n' at the opposite end of the engine-shaft is open to the chamber2C and exhausting steam therefrom. Immediately after the crank-rod e2has passed the point where the steam-chambers 1c and 2c are equal on thetwo sides of plate 1d the port at the opposite end of the engine beginsto pass the plate 2d and open to the chamber 3 and exhaust steamtherefrom. When the port fm has reached the position shown in Fig. 8,steam has been entirely exhausted from chamber 2c, and that chamber ispractically closed. As soon as the crank-rod e2 moves downward from theposition shown in Fig. 8 the chamber 2e begins to open again, and aportion of the port m at the same time having passed the plate ld admitssteam to the chamber 2, and the plate 2l,with the crank-rod e2, isforced downward. The port at the opposite end of the engine meantimeexhausts the steam from the chamber 3c, and so it proceeds. The steamcontinually expandingin the chambers and pressing against they platescauses the crank-rod e2 to revolve around the axis of the shaft, andthus rotate it. In positions of the crank intermediate of thoseshown inFigs. 8 and 9, l0 and l1, 12 and '7 the port m' is open to two of thechambers c, as illustrated: in Fig. 13, which is a positionintermediate.

oi' those in Figs. 12 and 7. In this instance the steam is acting uponplates ld and 3d to push the crank-rod e2 around to the left.

The great advantage of thisimproved con-. struction over thoseheretofore employed is.

the minimum amount of `wearing-surfaces.

There is no grinding between the ends of the a plurality of radiatingsteam-abutments .hinged at one edge upon a crank-rod which ivolve by thepressure of steam upon-the sides of the abutments successively, asdescribed.

2. In a` rotary engine, the combination of a plurality of radiatingplate-abutment-s, one end of each of which is hinged upon a crankrodwhich connects two portions of the driving-shaft, radial chambers intowhich the opposite ends ofthe plates respectively project, and alongitudinal steam-port in the shaft portion at each end ofthe,engine,lwhich two ports4 are respectively located upon oppositesides of a plane which passes through the axes of the shaft and thecrank-rod.

3. In a rotary engine, a plurality of radiating plate-abutments, theinner end of each of which is provided with a projecting cylindricalsection upon each side and with the curve of the section upon thecorresponding side of each piston constructed to overlap and t theexterior curved surface of the opposite cylindrical section of the nextadjoining piston, for the purpose described.

4. In a rotary engine, a crank-rod between two portions of thedriving-shaft, aplurality of radiating plate-abutments, each provided atits inner end with a projecting cylindrical section upon one side whichlits upon the crank-rod, and upon the other side a projectingcylindrical section, each of Vwhich overlaps the first-mentioned sectionof an adjoining piston, substantially as described.

5. In a rotary engine, a cylindrical rotary` valve open to thesteam-chest, ports in the cylindrical valve located at differentpositions of its length and in diametrical planes at right angles toeach other, which differently-located- MARGARET n. KNIGHT..

Witnesses:

R. L. ROBERTS, A. L. ROBINSON.

